Last defendant in 'Felony Lane' gang that operated in Harford County in 2015 pleads guilty

The final member of the "Felony Lane" gang that swept through Harford County in 2015 pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Baltimore on Thursday.

Kevin Williams, age 43, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., pleaded guilty to federal charges of bank fraud conspiracy and aggravated identity theft. He faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison for bank fraud conspiracy and a mandatory two years in prison, consecutive to any other sentence imposed, for aggravated identity theft.

Thirteen other defendants have already pleaded guilty.

Police said members of the “Felony Lane” gang broke into people’s cars to steal purses and wallets, then used the victims' checks or bank debit cards to get cash, either from ATMs or by cashing the checks at bank drive-in facilities.

Police in several states have dubbed the “felony lane," the one farthest away from the window, as the one where the gang members drive through to cash stolen checks.

In 2015, the Harford County Sheriff’s office said women were the typical victims of the “Felony Lane” gang, specifically women who left their purses or pocketbooks in the car as they visited businesses such as day care centers and fitness centers or walked or ran on the Ma and Pa Trail in Bel Air, Fallston and Forest Hill.

According to court documents, from September 2012 through July 2015, Williams was part of an organized group out of Florida that traveled to Maryland and other states committing check fraud.

“Managers” — including Williams — recruited prostitutes and drug addicts to conduct fraudulent financial transactions using the stolen checks and other materials, paying them with drugs, food and small amounts of cash. They stayed in a given location until law enforcement or banks caught on to their activities, returning weeks or months later to continue in their scheme.

According to his plea agreement, Williams assisted his co-conspirators in cashing checks at banks in Maryland, including in Columbia, Millersville and Edgewater.

As part of his plea agreement, Williams will be required to pay restitution in the full amount of the loss, which the government says is $621,242.06. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 15.

An attorney listed for Williams could not be immediately reached Thursday night.